Classroom Discussion Centering on Recycling, Reusing, Reducing
Lesson 1
Background:
Engage children in a general discussion about how our land is used and misused. Introduce the terms recycle, reuse, and reduce. Discuss the neighborhood where they live. Talk about garbage. Chicagoans throw out an average of five pounds of trash every day. A large percentage of this could be recycled. Some of it could be reduced in volume. Some could easily be reused. Paper, metal, wood, and some plastics could be either recycled or reused. There is a lot of waste that goes on in our city and in our neighborhood. Ask yourselves if you see items being thrown away that really could be recycled or reused in some way. Think about some useful items that were thrown away because they were old or out of style- but could be reused.
Objective:
Use language, including home language to generate topics and ideas elating to personal, community and world interests.
Time Allotment:
Lesson will take 40 minutes to 60 minutes; may be divided into two sessions, one in the morning, one in the afternoon.
Materials:
Use recycling in your own classroom by acquiring discarded cardboard box bottoms from soda pop cans. Decorate sides and label with your name. This becomes your personalized writing workshop box. Keep all writing materials inside the box, stack when not in use.
Procedure:
Vocabulary:
garbage, recycle, reduce, reuse
Cooperative Learning Group:
Have children divide into groups (about 4 to a group). Discuss the KWL procedures as it refers to recycling, reusing and reducing garbage.
Organizer- gets material needed for every person; helps reader if necessary
Investigator- discusses with everyone what is to be done; assigns jobs that alternate per activity; describes to each person what their job entails; makes final decisions
Reader- Does any reading of material; makes sure everyone talks in turn and has equal time; makes sure procedures are followed
Recorder- Does any writing or not taking; makes general graphs or charts or drawing (when needed).
Assessment:
Have groups do the KWL procedure. Make three columns, one labeled What You Know, the second column labeled What You Want to Know, and the last column What You Learned. Fill in first two, save last until lesson is completely finished.
Green Team Elections
Lesson 2
Background:
Children will elect members of their class to participate in a year long program of recycling, reusing, and reducing waste. School- wide elections should take place. Older children may want to debate and run for the office. Members elected should not have more than one two previous commitments during the school day. This will enable elected members to attend every meeting. It is further recommended that two classmates per 25 children be elected. A third child can be elected to serve as an alternative. Several teachers should serve as sponsors.
Objective:
Apply knowledge and make appropriate decisions/choices relating to their every day situations. (Physical Development) Demonstrate the ability to work together. (Social Studies) Recognize the need for protecting, conserving and limiting the use of natural resources in the environment. (Science)
Time Allotment:
This lesson may be completed in 30 to 45 minutes.
Materials:
writing workshop boxes
Procedure:
Activity:
Write to the prompt, "Do you think recycling is a good idea or a waste of time?" Share with the class. Vote for two classmates to represent you.
Assessment:
Extension Activities:
Think about what you would like discussed at Green Team meetings.
First Meeting of Class Reps for Green Team
Lesson 3
Background:
Teachers, sponsors, and children should equally run the meetings. All elected representatives should vote on procedures and vote on their chosen, collective name. Our school chose "The Green Team".
At the first meeting discussions should center around the course the group wants to take. Discuss recycling in the neighborhood and globally. Elicit suggestions to be written down by the representatives and taken back to the classrooms. Activities need to address the want to protect, conserve, and limit the use of natural resources in the environment.
Objectives:
Describe the characteristics of the Earth's sphere as related to the environment. (Science) Speak and write, using standard conventions in a well organized and coherent manner appropriate to a variety of audiences and purposes. (Language Arts)
Time Allotment:
We held our meeting during lunch. We used between 30 and 40 minutes.
Suggestions for activities:
Assessment:
Green Team members continue to report on a weekly basis to the classrooms. They also continue to elicit ideas and information.
Earth Day
Lesson 4
Background:
Into the next two lessons students will begin to organize their efforts into month long projects to celebrate Earth Day. It will be a culminating experience stretching into all areas of the curriculum. It will include all that we have learned about our environment and ecology.
Objectives:
Write narrative, descriptive, expository and persuasive materials for different purposes and audiences, using all stages of the writing process. (Language Arts) Read and write for various purposes including recreation and enrichment. (Language Arts) Use observation, classification and measurement to answer questions. (Science) Select and use computation techniques appropriate to specific problems. (Math)
Time Allotment:
You can invest as much time or as little time as you and your students decide.
Materials:
writing workshop boxes, math tools (pencils, rulers, etc.)
Activities:
Cooperative groups- Plan oral presentations to be read collectively, about what you learned about panting to greenhouse; about recycling classroom paper and graphing results about how the "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss effected you; also why you wrote poetry about Earth Day and if you thought that recycling aluminum was worthwhile..
Independently- Children will write descriptive paragraphs: You Are An Aluminum Can- Describe Your Day! Children will write and recite Earth Day poems. They will write acrostic poems, haiku poetry. Children will count the recycled papers daily. Children will graph the amount of colored white paper collected separately. Then average the weekly amounts of both the colored and white papers. Children will partner with another classroom and compare recycled amounts.
Assessment:
Earth Day
Lesson 5
Background:
Children will conclude formal activities associated with Earth Day. Hopefully, a lasting impression will have been made and will carry over to next year.
Objectives:
Observe and describe ways in which elements are used in the creation of art. (Fine Arts)
Materials:
large plastic bags (2 or 3), enough small plastic (grocery bags) for 2 children to share one, collect plants in greenhouse, spades, shovels, potting soil (if needed), "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss (the book and video)
Activities:
Assessment:
Same as lesson four for children.
Teacher Assessment: